Marston’s, operator of over 1,800 pubs and is the world’s largest brewer of cask ale, is joining forces with The Sun to future proof its pubs and ensure they remain relevant to future generations of pub-goers. As one of the largest pub groups in the UK Marstons is taking the lead and looking to the future to evolve the whole pub experience to suit changing needs, ensuring pubs remain an integral part of those communities for future generations.
The campaign is recruiting a “Pub of the Future Board” of volunteers, who will work together over a 12-18 month period to create a vision of their ideal pub of the future. The Sun partnership launches on July 17th when readers will be invited to submit their creative ideas as to why they should be selected as a member of the Marston’s “Pub of the Future Board”. The brand will incorporate readers’ best ideas into one of their new pubs of the future. The board will meet several times over the 18 months, and will focus on specific areas of the pub landscape including pub design, menu, drinks and even uniform design.
Roger Devlin, Chairman of Marston’s commented: “When I was young my social life revolved around the pub. Everybody used to meet there. I began wondering what would bring young people back to their local pubs? After all, the pub is the original social network. This is where we thought up the idea of recruiting The Sun’s readers to help us design The Pub of the Future.”
Una Beck Johnson, Commercial Marketing Director for Marston’s Inns & Taverns commented “How young people spend their leisure time and where they choose to eat out is very different from their parents. We want to make sure that our pubs stay relevant to the next generation of pub customers. The pub has always been at the heart of the community and an important place for lots of different leisure occasions. We feel that it is our responsibility as one of the largest pub groups in the UK to look to the future and evolve the whole pub experience to suit changing needs, ensuring our pubs remain an integral part of those communities for future generations.”